Tristan woke from his bed with a start. Slowly rubbing the crusts from his eyes he sat up, and propped himself against the head of his bed. As he groggily rose, a knock came at the door again, this time, louder.
Pound, Pound, Pound.
“Tristan! Get up! We need you to take a look at something.” A voice called from the other side.
Without saying a word, Tristan reached for his glasses and slid out of bed.
---
“The Power’s been out for about an hour now, and we figure nobody knows the systems better than you. Just take a look at it and get it up and running before long okay? If you need anything just tell one of the guards you’re looking for me.”
Tristan mumbled a quiet affirmation to the gruff man walking beside him. Tristan wasn’t much a fan of the posh fertility tribe members, their well-cut clothes and attitudes of self-importance always bothered him. The man walking beside Tristan on the way to the Hydroelectric generator was named Eugene, but that was about all Tristan cared to learn about him. He was big and tough, and that too immediately bothered Tristan.
“I have… Work... to get to, so you’re on your own from here.” Eugene tried and failed to hold back a smirk as he blurted out the word ‘work’. Tristan would have cared if Eugene didn’t startle him by placing a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder.
“Just remember who you’re working for here. If you screw this up you’re gonna be in some trouble… So… Get it done, and we’ll be just fine.” With a few final words and a pat on Tristan’s shoulder, Eugene left to go do his ‘work’.
Tristan wasted no time entering the door to the hydroelectric power plant. He pulled out an electric lantern from his pack, and switched it on, illuminating the dark patches of the power plants walkways. It didn’t take long to cross the into the expansive internal of the plant, and soon Tristan found himself walking across a metal walkway above the machine. The silence of the great machine bothered Tristan. His footsteps echoed throughout the chamber of the room, and in the darkness, it was hard to be anything but unsettled.
Suddenly Tristan saw a dark shape dart across his field of view, and the disturbance of air caught him in his place. Frozen like a deer in headlights, Tristan’s mind flashed through all the potential creatures that could be in the power plant. Creatures that peck pull and pull at your skin, creatures that remove your face from your body.
With his heart beating rapidly, Tristan icily turned to face where he saw the shape move towards. He raised his lantern into the darkness and found that he was not likely to lose his face, or a limb, or even suffer some minor injury. The creature that swept in front of his view so suddenly was just a normal sized bird. A single, bird all on it’s lonesome, with a bright yellow chest, and otherwise blue and white feathers. The little thing had in its beak a slender cord, and quickly Tristan knew what was killing the generator.
Tristan couldn’t help but stare at the poor lonely thing. He had seen wildlife all around the area, creatures that were mutated to abnormal sizes, and birds that could tear the skin from your face, but he had not seen something so small and demure survive in this world.
The birds lept from its place in the metalworks and flew over to a crevice in a metal rail that granted a perfect place to build a nest. Inside the nest rested a few small eggs, to fit the small bird who left them there. It fidgeted a bit and found a place to put the small cord it had stolen from the generator.
Tristan knew what was to come of this bird, but he couldn’t bring himself to destroy the little things nest. Instead, he turned around slowly, and headed for the exit of the generator room, then began to walk briskly with more confidence. The confused faces of the guards outside the room met him on the other side of the door.
“I need to go to the historian's library.” He said sharply, cutting the silence and continuing past without another word.
Tristan flipped through the almanac of various bird species until he finally came across a picture he recognized. He wasn’t the strongest reader, but he could see the small bird inside the generator room was called a “Kirtland’s Warbler”, and that before all this it was considered an endangered species.
He sat on the page for a while, simply staring at the picture of the thing, and considering how the little creatures life was something like his own. One small character in a large ugly world. A living being with so much life, being cast down and devalued by those around it. Tristan knew he could never bring the small critter to harm, but he also knew that wouldn’t bode well for him. Perhaps he could hide the thing away, and keep it as a pet. As a friend.
“So the little devil has you smitten has it?” A large powerful voice cut through his thoughts. Tristan looked up to see none other than Eugene looking down at him and his book.
“I thought you of all people would understand how important power is Tristan. We can’t live without it, especially not just to protect some random bird. Now are you going to go back to the generator and finish the job, or am I going to have to find a new engineer.”
Tristan's heart began to beat strongly and rapidly. He searched for words but knew he had nothing to say. Such an insignificant thing to be punished for.
“I’m disappointed in you Tristan…” Eugene motioned for the two guards who came here with him. “Unfortunately or you, we can’t forgive you for endangering so many people. The fertility tribe sees this as an act of treachery, and I’m going to have to make an example out of you.”
Tristan’s eyes shot open at that. He looked up at Eugene in surprise. An example to be made out of an engineer that simply didn’t work fast enough?
“The world is changing Tristan. If you’re not going to keep up, we’re going to have to leave you behind.”
Tristan woke from his bed with a start. Slowly rubbing the crusts from his eyes he sat up, and propped himself against the head of his bed. As he groggily rose, a knock came at the door again, this time, louder.
Pound, Pound, Pound.
“Tristan! Get up! We need you to take a look at something.” A voice called from the other side.
Without saying a word, Tristan reached for his glasses and slid out of bed.
---
“The Power’s been out for about an hour now, and we figure nobody knows the systems better than you. Just take a look at it and get it up and running before long okay? If you need anything just tell one of the guards you’re looking for me.”
Tristan mumbled a quiet affirmation to the gruff man walking beside him. Tristan wasn’t much a fan of the posh fertility tribe members, their well-cut clothes and attitudes of self-importance always bothered him. The man walking beside Tristan on the way to the Hydroelectric generator was named Eugene, but that was about all Tristan cared to learn about him. He was big and tough, and that too immediately bothered Tristan.
“I have… Work... to get to, so you’re on your own from here.” Eugene tried and failed to hold back a smirk as he blurted out the word ‘work’. Tristan would have cared if Eugene didn’t startle him by placing a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder.
“Just remember who you’re working for here. If you screw this up you’re gonna be in some trouble… So… Get it done, and we’ll be just fine.” With a few final words and a pat on Tristan’s shoulder, Eugene left to go do his ‘work’.
Tristan wasted no time entering the door to the hydroelectric power plant. He pulled out an electric lantern from his pack, and switched it on, illuminating the dark patches of the power plants walkways. It didn’t take long to cross the into the expansive internal of the plant, and soon Tristan found himself walking across a metal walkway above the machine. The silence of the great machine bothered Tristan. His footsteps echoed throughout the chamber of the room, and in the darkness, it was hard to be anything but unsettled.
Suddenly Tristan saw a dark shape dart across his field of view, and the disturbance of air caught him in his place. Frozen like a deer in headlights, Tristan’s mind flashed through all the potential creatures that could be in the power plant. Creatures that peck pull and pull at your skin, creatures that remove your face from your body.
With his heart beating rapidly, Tristan icily turned to face where he saw the shape move towards. He raised his lantern into the darkness and found that he was not likely to lose his face, or a limb, or even suffer some minor injury. The creature that swept in front of his view so suddenly was just a normal sized bird. A single, bird all on it’s lonesome, with a bright yellow chest, and otherwise blue and white feathers. The little thing had in its beak a slender cord, and quickly Tristan knew what was killing the generator.
Tristan couldn’t help but stare at the poor lonely thing. He had seen wildlife all around the area, creatures that were mutated to abnormal sizes, and birds that could tear the skin from your face, but he had not seen something so small and demure survive in this world.
The birds lept from its place in the metalworks and flew over to a crevice in a metal rail that granted a perfect place to build a nest. Inside the nest rested a few small eggs, to fit the small bird who left them there. It fidgeted a bit and found a place to put the small cord it had stolen from the generator.
Tristan knew what was to come of this bird, but he couldn’t bring himself to destroy the little things nest. Instead, he turned around slowly, and headed for the exit of the generator room, then began to walk briskly with more confidence. The confused faces of the guards outside the room met him on the other side of the door.
“I need to go to the historian's library.” He said sharply, cutting the silence and continuing past without another word.
Tristan flipped through the almanac of various bird species until he finally came across a picture he recognized. He wasn’t the strongest reader, but he could see the small bird inside the generator room was called a “Kirtland’s Warbler”, and that before all this it was considered an endangered species.
He sat on the page for a while, simply staring at the picture of the thing, and considering how the little creatures life was something like his own. One small character in a large ugly world. A living being with so much life, being cast down and devalued by those around it. Tristan knew he could never bring the small critter to harm, but he also knew that wouldn’t bode well for him. Perhaps he could hide the thing away, and keep it as a pet. As a friend.
“So the little devil has you smitten has it?” A large powerful voice cut through his thoughts. Tristan looked up to see none other than Eugene looking down at him and his book.
“I thought you of all people would understand how important power is Tristan. We can’t live without it, especially not just to protect some random bird. Now are you going to go back to the generator and finish the job, or am I going to have to find a new engineer.”
Tristan's heart began to beat strongly and rapidly. He searched for words but knew he had nothing to say. Such an insignificant thing to be punished for.
“I’m disappointed in you Tristan…” Eugene motioned for the two guards who came here with him. “Unfortunately or you, we can’t forgive you for endangering so many people. The fertility tribe sees this as an act of treachery, and I’m going to have to make an example out of you.”
Tristan’s eyes shot open at that. He looked up at Eugene in surprise. An example to be made out of an engineer that simply didn’t work fast enough?
“The world is changing Tristan. If you’re not going to keep up, we’re going to have to leave you behind.”